Death Comes To Town
by OffenceTaken
Summary: A serial killer stalks the streets of Tulsa. Life starts a downward spiral for Ponyboy when the killer hits a little too close to home.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own anything. **

It was today's newspaper that made me double over.

**Girl Found Dead in Park on the West Side**

I didn't have to look at the article to recognize the girl in the picture. Her long hair, her almond-shaped eyes and thin lips peered at me in black and white. I did not need color to know who it was. I was alone in the kitchen, but not for long, Darry came in and paled. I know he didn't mean for me to look at it. I probably never would of seen it if I had not decided to wake up early. I felt myself gag a little.

"This ain't her, is it?" I choked out, but I knew what to expect. "It can't be her."

Darry rolled the paper up and held it in his fist. "I'm sorry Pony." He actually meant it too.

"Damn." I whispered, looking at the floor. I sure wished I had a cigarette; I was craving one a whole lot. Darry walked up to me and put both roughened hands on my shoulder and pushed me down into a chair. His cold blue eyes softened as he pulled another chair up next to me, sitting on it himself.

"There's been this rumor going around." He began, sighing before continuing. "A guy-a man is in town."

He stopped; I looked at him to continue, feeling slightly nauseous. "A killer, this is the second one this month."

I remembered the headlines a couple weeks ago; it was this old lady, Ms. Tallyman, who lived alone with her cats, just an innocent lady. I knew her too; she sent me pies and cakes when Darry went off on a ski trip. They never found the guy who did it; he just walked in there and killed her, just like that. It is weird, I don't know what to feel, I haven't talked with her for a long time, last time was probably to say an awkward hello in the hallway a couple months ago, she only smiled, never said anything back at all. I almost felt like I don't care.

Dead like Johnny and Dallas. Is it just me, but it seems like a lot of people I know are dying around me. Johnny and Dallas' deaths were pretty hard on me, but Cherry's came out as a surprise, a blow to the stomach. It was totally unexpected.

**Pardon all errors. Reviews please. I'll even accept flames.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm trying to update this story as often as I can, but I'm currently working on an original fiction that I really want to continue but I'll try to post as often as I can. Thanks for reading!**

Cherry's parents actually invited me to the funeral. It was kind of awkward, since me and Cherry broke up a couple months ago. But I paid my respects and didn't look at the open coffin; it was soon over, fortunately, because I knew no one there (except maybe Marcia, but I avoided her) besides her parents. I wish I never came, but Darry urged me to go, so I listened and went. I was just leaving when a strong hand stopped me; I turned around, face-to-face to a tall, blond and handsome man.

"You're Ponyboy Curtis, right?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yeah. That's me." I replied, he scratched his neck and smiled subtly. "You?"

"Christopher Sheldon." He answered. "But you can call me Kit."

We talked for a while, about my school and he talked of his job at an oil rig in Texas. He seemed like a real nice guy, he said he was engaged to an actress and was going to move to a bigger house. This made me feel a bit uncomfortable; since it pointed out he was a Soc. These days you never know who are Socs and now we all lookalike since them and us greasers dress pretty much the same and wear the same hair. I told Kit about me working towards a scholarship; he said I looked smart enough.

He brought me outside to his car (a red 1967 Camaro) and pulled out a six-pack, and offered me a drink, but I politely declined, because Darry doesn't like me drinking too much. If Soda was here, he'd let me and cover for me, but I guess since I am the youngest I get babied the most. I mean I guess Darry is being reasonable and doesn't want me to get addicted to it and get real sick, like Two-Bit.

Kit had drank nearly the whole thing, but managed to stay somewhat sober. We talked and talked, even after the guests left. Avoiding the subject of Cherry (I don't even know how he knew her), we kept chatting, Kit was a really easy guy to talk to. At last Darry showed and picked me up. If I had my own car I could have driven myself, but since we can't afford it, I can't. Too bad Soda's old car doesn't work anymore; otherwise I would have used that.

Darry asked who he was and I told him, he looked at me in surprise. "Kit _Sheldon_?"

I looked at him dumb for a while. Then it dawned on me, Bob's older brother, I never would have guessed, they look so unlike. I wondered why he wasn't hostile or anything, since my friend did kill his brother.

"I knew him in school, you know." Darry informed me. "Nice guy."

We didn't talk for the rest of the ride, I felt kind of empty, emotionless. At home, I jumped onto my bed, seemingly too empty. I wish Soda was here. It's been three months, I think, ever since he was drafted. Those three months seems like forever to me, I never been this long from seeing him and it still kills me sometimes. Why do so many people have to go to the War? Leaning over my bed I reached over to my desk and found the envelope.

Dear Ponyboy,

Yeah it's only been two months, so don't get your panties in a twist. I'm fine I guess, I hope, though it gives me nightmares to see what I see. Enough of me, what about you? Sorry you and Cherry broke up, though I told you, I don't think she was good enough for you. Hey, I'm just being the supportive big brother. So you working for that scholarship? You better be, we need someone in our family to turn good. How's Darry, is he too busy to send my letters back? Tell him I'm waiting. And Two-Bit? Did he propose yet? Well I hope that you'll save me at least one chick for me when I come home. Steve says hi.

Sodapop Curtis

Damn, it kills me so much. Tears well up in my eyes whenever I think of him, but they never fall. I sent him two letters since that last one, but I still haven't got any back. I wished Soda never went, but life just isn't fair, especially for us greasers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Not my best chapter, but oh well. Happy April Fools!**

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Staring at the ceiling, I chewed on a pencil, wondering what to write. I scorned myself to not work on the Biology sheet earlier, but I came home way too late last night to think about homework. Lorne Barkley and I were at the Nightly Double, watching some Western and tried picking up some chicks. Though, I didn't that well, having Cherry still on mind, that and I didn't really want to in the first place. It must have been an hour that passed, working on the sheet, since the digits on my clock read out 11:46, last time I checked it was only after ten.

Lorne is a good friend of mine, I used to hang out with another guy, Mark Jennings, but he got sent to the cooler. So it has been pretty much just Lorne and me, hanging out, sometimes with other guys in our classes. Lorne is tall, dark and lanky with hair that sticks out in every direction and has the intelligence of a flamingo (and I'll tell you this, flamingoes aren't that smart) but he knows how to have a good time.

Darry quietly knocked on my wall and asked permission to come in, I let him. He sat on the empty, hard side of my bed, and he closed my books shut. "So I guess you've been hearing some rumors 'bout that serial killer." I flinched internally; it has been two weeks since they found Cherry in the park. Darry's gaze softened as he continued. "They haven't found him, and I want you to be careful 'round town, savvy?

"Yeah." I sighed, why does Darry have to be so untrusting? I mean, I have been trying hard to pay attention and pull my heads out of the clouds, but I never seem to satisfy him. Darry squeezed me shoulder and he stood up. "Anything else?"

He looked confused. "What d'ya mean?"

"I mean," I began, "You don't just come in here just to tell me that."

He chuckled uneasily; I shot him a curios look. He folded his arms, his large muscles bulged and I could tell he was a bit nervous. "Well you know, I just want to know, well, if you are having problems, you know, since _her _death." He then left.

_Her _meant Cherry. I did not know how to answer, mostly because I did not know how to feel about her death itself. We only went out on two dates, and that just did not end well, she preferred going out to high-class, upper-end places that I found boring, but when I brought to some greaser hang-outs, a fight always seemed to be breaking out and you know how she feels about fights. I do not think you could have even considered us 'dating'; I just wanted to see how it would be like to be with her. So for a while, I've been sticking to the lower-class girl, who actually knew how to have a good time.

Until I met Cathy, Cathy was possibly the most beautiful girl I've met, her dark hair and charcoal-grey eyes. We had only been out on one date, and frankly I think that went well. I keep hoping to go on another date again, because I really like her. I see what Soda means when he says being in love is nice.

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The next day, Two-Bit offered to drive me to school, which he has not done in a long time, because he does not go to school anymore, after his long-awaited graduation. I wondered briefly where Kathy would be, since he drives her to work as well, but he told me, as if he read my mind, that she was at her mother's in Oklahoma City. It has been six years since they have been doing their 'on-and-off' dating, and despite the many girls Two-Bit went out with; he always came back to Kathy.

While we drove across the city, with one hand on the steering wheel, Two-Bit reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a case. "I gotta show you something, Pony." He passed me the navy blue case and I opened it, in the center were a small golden band.

Feeling particularly mouthy, I put on a snarky look. "I like you Two-Bit, but not that much!" I said, empathizing 'that'.

Two-Bit looked at me perplexed for a second then laughed. "Very funny Pony, but no, it's for Kathy, I'm popping the question tonight, after she comes home."

"Think she'll say yes?" I asked as we pulled up in front of the high school, a tall red bricked building.

"Hopefully," He replied, pulling out a cigarette, flipping the collar of his jacket up to light the weed. "I think she wanted me to ask for quite some time now."

I hopped out of the car, wishing him luck; I turned to the school, meeting up with Lorne. It is hard to miss a guy like him. The bell rang and we rushed to class, I swallowed nervously, thinking about my Biology sheet I failed to finish when I decided to get some sleep. I could have copied off Lorne if I wanted to, but I did not think about it, but I am also not the cheating type as well.

After being rewarded detention, I made my way through day, once in a while looking into a crowd, hoping to see Cathy by herself, but the chance never came. She always had to be with her friends, it seems. When I do get chances to talk with her, Bryon Douglas, her ex-boyfriend, always appears when I get her alone. I am no fan of Bryon, especially after he was the one who sold Mark out to the fuzz. Mark had been another of my best friends.

Pre-Calc was no fun, but I am in the same class as Kate Johnston, and she is always nice to look at. Sure I like Cathy and all that, but we aren't actually dating, so I am allowed to look at other girls too. And anyway, no guy in their right mind could say she was not pretty. She has lengthy, wavy dark brown hair, sky-blue eyes that never dull and a perfectly shaped face, and not to mention her body, with the curves in the right place and she is not too short and not too tall. Luckily, despite my size, she is shorter than me by a few inches, and I prefer to have my girls short.

But Lola Dickens, the girl who sits by me, brought me to reality when she waved her hand in front of my face. I do not like her a lot, I am not the one to judge girls by their looks, but she is really ugly and a real kiss-ass too. Whenever I stick my head in the clouds, she always does stuff like that, waving her hand in front of my face. But this time she was not doing this to annoy me; instead she had a neatly folded note in her hands.

"From Cathy." She informed me, passing me the note. I opened the note and read it over, at least three times, unaware of Lola reading over my shoulder, and cracked a grin.

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